1. Field
This disclosure relates to semiconductor rod arrays. More specifically, the present disclosure describes structures comprising semiconductor rod arrays and methods for fabricating such structures.
2. Description of Related Art
Semiconductor rod arrays are structures that may be used in solar cell architectures and other sensing and electronic devices. The semiconductor rod arrays may comprise uniform or near uniform arrays grown from a substrate, such as a single crystal wafer. However, attachment of the semiconductor rod arrays to the substrate may impact the functionality of the arrays. Therefore, in some applications, it may be preferable to release the rod arrays from the substrate while maintaining the integrity of the rods and the ordering of the array.
Embedding of nanoscale inorganic species in polymers has been achieved for carbon nanotubes CdS nanoparticles, Mo nanowires, and ZnO nanorods. However, methods known in the art may be limited in their ability to combine flexibility with crystallinity and long range order. Such methods may also not be able to impose, create, and maintain ordered, oriented arrays of inorganic nanoscale or microscale wires in macroscale devices.
Single-crystal inorganic semiconductors currently enable the most efficient solar cells, but their rigidity precludes use of inexpensive processing schemes such as roll-to-roll manufacturing and/or their application in flexible forms for installation. While amorphous and multi-crystalline films of inorganic semiconductors can be grown on pliable substrates such as sheets of stainless steel or polymeric substrates, solar cells processed from these disordered absorber materials exhibit a solar energy conversion efficiency significantly less than single-crystals. Organic and hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells offer flexibility and processability, but suffer from instability of the organic light-absorbing and/or charge-conducting material under prolonged illumination.